Straw-spreading attachment for manure-spreaders.



B. F. REICHE NBERGER. STRAWSPREADING ATTACHMENT'FOR MANURE SPREADERS.:

- APPLICATION FILE D MAR. I. 191'3- 1,166,632. Patented Jan. 4, 1916.

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fi ATTORNEY.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 1. 191

Patented Jan. 4, 1916.

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N B h o WITNESSES:

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STRAW SPREADING ATTACHMENT FOR MANURE SPREADERS APPLICATION. FILED MAR. 7. 1913.

1,166,632. Pgtented'Jan.4,19 1 6.

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ATTORNEY.

UNHEED sra'ras rarnnr c rrier.

BENEDICT F. REICHENBERGER,-OF PURGELL, KA NSAS.

srnnw-srnnanr'nc ATTACHMENT FOR MANURE SBB-EADERS.

Application filed March 7, 1913. Serial No. 752,631.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, BENEDICT F. REIOHEN4 BERGER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Purcell, in the county of Doniphan and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Straw- Spreading Attachments for ul'lanure spreaders, of which the following is a specificat on. My invention relates to a straw spreading attachment for manure spreaders, and my object is toprovide an efficient but simple attachment of this character which can be readily applied to a manure spreader or removed therefrom when'the latter is to be employed to carry out'its usual function of spreading manure. e

My attachment coacts w1th the usual mechanism of the manure spreader and, therefore, can be manufactured at less cost than a complete straw spreader made to operate independently' of a manure spreader. The attachment is automatic in operation and hence does not require an operator in addition to the operator who controls'the mechanism of the manure spreader.

In order that the invention may be fully understood, reference will now be made to.

the accompanying drawings,in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a manure spreader provided with mystraw spreading attachment. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on the plane of line II'II, Fig. 3, with front and rear wheels of the manure spreader added. Fig. 3 is a cross section taken on line III-III of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a section on the plane of line IVIV of Fig. 1. Fig.5 is a cross section on line V-V of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a detail side elevation partly in section of means for transmitting motion from the cylinder to my apron. F igl 7 is a broken detail side elevation of the opposite side of the manure spreader tothat disclosed byFig. 1, and

showing the usual gearing for transmitting motion from the axle to the cylinder of the manure spreader. W I 1 As the manure spreader may be of ordinary type, Ihave shown and will describe only enough thereofto disclose how my attachment coacts therewith.

1 designates the box, 2 the wheels,3 the apron, 4 the end-gate on the apron, 5 the cylinder, 6 the shaft thereof, 7 a pinion fixed to one end'of shaft 6, 8 a pinion intermesh- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 4, 1916.

ing with pinion 7, 9 a sprocket wheel for driving pinion 8, 10 an endless sprocket chain for driving sprocket wheel 9, 11 a sprocket wheel fixed to the rear axle 12 of the manure All of the foregoing parts are of the usual arrangement and construction, except thatthe eccentric 19 instead of being mounted on the shaft of'cylinder 5, is mounted upon a counter shaft 20 which is driven at less'speed than the cylinder, so that said counter shaft in turn will drive the apron at less than the usual speed employed when spreading manure. In other words, instead of drivingthe apron roller shaft 13di'r'ect from the cylinder shaft, it is driven from thecounter shaft 20, which is driven at a lower rate of speed than the cylinder shaft'byf sprocket gearing consisting of a relatively large sprocket wheel 22 fixed to the counter shaft 20, and an endless sprocket chain- 23' extending around the which is placed upon the'box 1 toincrease the capacity thereof. Said rack consists of longitudinal and vertical slats 25 and 26, respectively, and is firmly secured tobox l by metal straps 27 and bolts 28, which can be removed when it is desired to take the rack-from" the box 1, so that the manure spreader may carry out its usualfunction of spreading manure. Rack 24 is provided at one side with a door 29, which may be let down-for convenience when loading straw into box land the rack. Door 29 is secured at its lower side tothe rack byf hinges 30 and provided at its upper side with a latch 31 adapted to engage a keeper 32 and thus secure the door in closed position.

33 designates an inclined frame secured toopposite sides of the delivery end ofrack 24 by bolts 34, and to'box l by metallic straps 35, said frame'being' provided for the purpose of carrying, substantially, all the provided near its lower end with bearings 33, in which the counter shaft 20 is ournaled. I

36 designates a picker comprising a plurality of bars 37, hooks or teeth 38 secured to the faces of said bars, a multi-crank shaft 39, and a plurality of crank arms 40. Crank shaft 39 is operably-connected to the upper rear portion of the picker bars 37 by caps 41 and journaled at its ends in bearings 42 (Fig. 3), secured to the upper portion of the inclined frame Crank arms 40 are pivotally connected at their free ends to the lower ends of the picker bars 37, and operablymounted at their other ends upon a shaft 43, mounted in brackets 44, secured to frame 33. Shaft 43 is provided with spacing sleeves 45 to prevent lateral movement of said crank arms. One end of shaft 39 is provided with a fixedly-mounted sheave 46 driven by a crossed chain 47, which in turn is driven by a smaller sheave 48 fixedly-mounted upon one end of the counter shaft 20. Shaft 39 imparts a circular motion to the upper portions of the picker bars 37, whereas the crank arms 40, which run idle, impart a substantially, reciprocating motion to the lowerportions of said picker bars, which combination of movements agitates and feeds the straw from the top of the load down to cylinder 5 in a uniform manner, so that said cylinder may distribute the straw equally over the surface of the ground.

49 designates a retarder to regulate the passage of the straw to the picker. Said retarder comprises a plurality of strips 50, a plurality of resilient fingers 51, and a cross bar 52 provided at its ends with trunnions 53, rockingly-mounted in a yoke 54 secured to the sides of the rack 24, see Figs. 2 and 3. Cross bar 52 of the retarder is provided near its ends with a pair of upwardly-extending arms 55, normally held incontact with the upper portion of yoke 54 by a pair of retractile springs 56, connected at their rear ends to eye-bolts 57, extending through lugs 58 and provided with nuts 59, so that they may be adjusted longitudinally to regulate the tension of the springs 56. Lugs 58 are secured to a transverse bar 60, secured to the upper ends of a pair of arms 61 secured to the sides of the rack 24.

62 designates a fender secured to each side of the delivery end of the rack 24, iust above cylinder 5 to prevent the straw from spreading laterally and becoming entwined in the.

adjacent gearing.

63 designates a plurality of fingers secured to the end-gate 4 and extending upward into rack 24 to move the straw therein toward the cylinder 5.

In practice, the door 29 is lowered to the dotted position, Fig. 3, so that the straw can be readily thrown into rack 24, which is loaded to a level with the top thereof. The

machine is then started forward and as the end-gate 4 and fingers 63 travel toward cylinder 5, they carry the straw therewith. As the straw moves forward, it packs against the retarder 49 until the strips 50 are swung behind the forward ends of the picker teeth 38, which at each downward stroke agitate and carry the top of the load downward to the cylinder 5 in a uniform manner, thereby insuring an equal distribution of straw upon the ground by said cylinder. As the picker bars move upward, they are carried backward behind the strips 50 of the retarder by the rotating crank shaft 39, so that the teeth 38 will not engage and carry the straw upward therewith.

While I have referred to my invention as an attachment for spreading straw, it is to be understood that it may be used to advantage in spreading hay or other fertilizing material over the surface of the soil.

I have shown and described the preferred form of my invention, but I of course, reserve the right to make such changes in con struction, and arrangement of parts as properly fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is: I

1. In combination with a manure spreader having a cylinder and an apron, an attachment consisting of a container placed upon said manure spreader to increase the load capacity thereof, picker bars at the delivery end of said container, means on said picker bars to carry the material at the top of the load downward to the cylinder, a counter shaft adjacent said cylinder, gearing whereby said counter shaft is driven from the cylinder, gearing driven by said counter shaft for actuating the picker bars, and gearing driven by the counter shaft for actuating the apron.

2. In combination with a manure spreader having a cylinder, an attachment consisting of a container placed upon said manure spreader to increase the load capacity thereof, means at the deliverv end of said container to carry the material at the top of the load downward to the cylinder, a cross bar pivotally-mounted in advance of said means, strips depending from said cross bar to regulate the passage of the material to said means, resilient fingers depending from the cross bar in advance of said strips to assist the latter in controlling the passage of the material to said means, and resilient members controlling said strips and fingers so that the same will offer resistanceto the passage of the material to said means.

3. In combination with a manure spreader having a cylinder, an attachment consisting of, a picker at the delivery end of said container to carry the material at the top of the load downward to the cylinder of the manure spreader, a yoke secured to the container a short distance in advance'of said picker, a cross bar operably-mounted in said yoke, strips depending from said cross bar in advance of the picker, resilient fingers depending from the cross bar in advance of said strips, arms extending upward from the cross bar, springs secured to said arms to normally hold the same against the top of the yoke and cause the strips and the fingers to ofler resistance to the passage of the material to the picker, and means for tensioning said springs.

4. In combination with a manure spr eader having a cylinder, an apron provided with an end gate, an attachment consisting of a container placed upon said manure spreader to increase the load capacity thereof, and fingers extending upward into said container from the end gate to move the load in said container toward the cylinder, and means for actuating said fingers.

5. In combination with a manure spreader having a cylinder, an apron provided with an end gate, an attachment consisting of av container placed upon said manure spreader to increase the load capacity thereof, means at the delivery end of said container to carry the material at the top of the load- BENEDICT F. REICHENBERGER.

Witnesses:

HOWARD V. Cox, WM. FRANK SMrrHsoN;

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. G. 

